Former Giants Morten Andersen and Kurt Warner elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame
Two players who spent a season each with the New York Giants were among seven players elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Kicker Morten Andersen and quarterback Kurt Warner will be enshrined Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio along with running back Terrell Davis, safety Kenny Easley, defensive end Jason Taylor, running back LaDainian Tomlinson, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
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Andersen is the NFL’s all-time leader in points (2,544), field goals (565), and games played (382). He was the kicker on the NFL’s All-Decade teams for both the 1980’s and 1990’s. Andersen spent the first 13 years of his NFL career (1982-94) with the New Orleans Saints followed by six years with the Atlanta Falcons before joining the Giants for the 2001 season.
Andersen made 23 of 28 field goal attempts (82.1 percent) and 29 of 30 extra point attempts for a total of 98 points as a Giant. After leaving the Giants, Andersen went on to kick for the Kansas City Chiefs (2002-03) and Minnesota Vikings (2004) before finishing his career with the Falcons (2006-07).
Andersen is the second player who was solely a kicker to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Jan Stenerud, a kicker for the Chiefs, Vikings, and Green Bay Packers from 1967-85, was inducted in 1991.
Warner originally signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1994 after playing his collegiately at Northern Iowa. He was released before the start of the season. The Packers already had Brett Favre, Mark Brunell, and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer at quarterback. After the Packers released him, he famously bagged groceries for $5.50 an hour.
Warner eventually played in the Arena Football League and NFL Europe before securing at spot on the St. Louis Rams’ roster. He spent six seasons with the Rams (1998-2003) as field general of the highly explosive offense known as the Greatest Show on Turf. Warner was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1999, leading the Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans. He also led to the Rams to Super Bowl XXXVI where they lost to the New England Patriots.
Warner signed with the Giants June 2, 2004, roughly six weeks after the team acquired No. 1 overall pick Eli Manning in a draft day trade with the San Diego Chargers. He was the Giants’ starting quarterback when the season began. Warner went 174-of-277 for 2,954 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions in 10 games.
Warner signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2005. He led the franchise to an appearance in Super Bowl XLIII (the franchise’s first Super Bowl berth), losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Award in 2009. Warner retired in 2010 and has worked as an analyst and broadcaster of NFL games.
Warner finished his career with 2,666 completions on 4,070 attempts for 32,344 yards, 208 touchdowns, and 128 interceptions. His career passer rating is 93.7. He owns the three highest single-game passing yard totals in Super Bowl history (414 in Super Bowl XXXIV, 377 in Super Bowl XLIII, and 365 in Super Bowl XXXVI) and the only quarterback to throw for at least 400 yards in a Super Bowl.
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